EMDR is a very effective way of helping people who are suffering from trauma or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many other conditions.
It was developed by an American clinical psychologist, Dr Francine Shapiro, in the 1980s. As a Senior Research Fellow at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, USA, she published the first research data supporting the treatment of PTSD with EMDR therapy in 1989.
EMDR is one of the NICE recommended psychological therapies for treating PTSD. The other recommended psychological therapy is Trauma Focused CBT.
How does EMDR work?
When a person is involved in a distressing event, they may feel overwhelmed and their brain may be unable to process the information like a normal memory. The distressing memory seems to become frozen on a neurological level. When a person recalls it, they can re-experience what they saw, heard, smelt, tasted or felt, and this can be quite intense. Sometimes the memories are so distressing that people try to avoid thinking about the event to avoid the feelings.
The alternating left-right brain stimulation with eye movements, sounds or taps during EMDR stimulates the frozen or blocked memory and allows it to process and heal. During the process, the distressing memories seem to lose their intensity (desensitise) and become less distressing and more like ‘ordinary’ memories. The effect is believed to be similar to REM sleep, when your eyes rapidly move from side to side.
What can EMDR be used for?
EMDR has been successfully used to treat:
- PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and dissociation
- Anxiety, stress and panic attacks
- Phobias (including fear of flying)
- Complicated grief
- Addictions — I use Robert Miller’s Feeling State Protocol for work with addictions
- Depression
EMDR is not simply the use of eye movements. It is a comprehensive therapeutic approach with principles, protocols and procedures, with the goal of reducing distress in the shortest period of time.
What happens in a session?
When you first meet with your EMDR therapist, they will spend time getting to know your history — the kind of distress and difficulties you're experiencing, any physical problems or medication, and the support you have in your life. If EMDR is suited to your difficulty, your therapist will explain the model and theory.
Once you and your therapist feel sufficiently prepared, you can target a distressing memory with eye movements (or another form of left-right alternating stimulation, such as sound or taps). You'll be asked to select an image representing the distressing event, then think about negative and positive thoughts, your feelings, and the distress you feel and where you feel it in your body.
Your therapist will then begin the eye movements while you hold the image in mind, checking in with you after each set. During the eye movements you may experience the distressing event quite intensely to start with, but this generally reduces as the memory is processed. Before the end of the session, your therapist will give you time to feel calm again, using a safe-place exercise or relaxation technique if needed.
What will I feel like afterwards?
EMDR treatment generates a certain amount of momentum in your thinking that doesn't stop immediately after the session. Memories may continue to come to mind afterwards, and for a day or two you may still feel some distress — it's recommended you take care of yourself and use relaxation techniques during this time, and avoid anything too stressful straight after a session.
As distress decreases with EMDR, people often report a sense of relief, and by the end of therapy many report feeling little or no distress at all when recalling the event that was previously distressing.
Is EMDR a form of hypnotism?
No. Even though you are moving your eyes during EMDR, you remain conscious and in control at all times. EMDR cannot be done against your will.
Further reading
This page has been adapted from the EMDR UK and Ireland website. For more information about EMDR see: